Saudi Coalition Intercepts Houthi Missiles Amid US Naval Blockade

The Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles on Wednesday, one targeting an area north of Riyadh and another aimed at Khamis Mushait. Simultaneously, Houthi rebels launched drone and missile attacks against King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Aden International Airport in Yemen. A missile landing near the Aden runway forced a flight from Cairo to Jeddah to divert.

Major General Turki Al-Maliki stated that coalition intelligence is tracking a launch platform over Sanaa and vowed to destroy it, identifying Sanaa, Saada, and Amran provinces as the sources of the threats. In response, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud coordinated with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan to condemn the strikes and discuss the protection of maritime routes in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

These escalations occur as the Government of Yemen, supported by Saudi air power, claims to have secured control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a claim Houthi forces deny. In a broader regional conflict, the United States is enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports under the direction of President Donald Trump. US Central Command reports that 130 commercial vessels have been diverted and 13 destroyed over the last 12 weeks. Additionally, the US withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain following intelligence of a suspected Iranian drone plot.